want to scream!

hi,

i really want to scream!!!

last thurs the asthma clinic altered my sons singulair tablets from bedtime to mornings in order to help the coughing and wheeziness at school (4yr old running about etc). i told the nurse that when she did this bbefore he was really ill coughing and wheezing and ended up in hospital 48hrs later with croup. she said he would be fine.

well.......... friday was fine during the day. friday night wasnt too bad but son woke coughing few times. took his inhaler and was fine.

saturday during the day was fine - saturday night i thought we had a dog upstairs, son was ""barking"" like mad with a cough and had to take his inhalers three times!

sunday during the day, he was coughing and wheezing, had to have his inhalers quite a bit. it didnt help that we had gone out when it was warm (had coats with us) and it turned very cold and windy and son complained his chest hurt. sunday night he was awake most of night coughing, and having problems breathing - couldnt breath when coughing which in turn made him cough more, inhalers helped a bit.

monday he was tired most of day and still had a barking cough and was wheezy, monday night was a repeat of sunday!

this morning i took him back to the docs, had to see a nurse (not asthma one) and she listened to his chest and said its clear - no wheezes and no chest infection (good note). she rang the asthma nurse who said to put his singulair back to nights as he obviously needs it to keep airway open at night. she also said that the school are going to have to cope with him coughing and wheezing, will have to give him his inhalers or keep him in at playtimes!!! (this isnt fair on him being only 4.)

[yaf_user681_23350]

Both my Son and I use singulair tabs at night. It's the only way we get to sleep near symptom free, never heard of giving it in the day before. I've got fostair to open airways in the day (doesn't seem to help much) my Son has seretide, also bricanyl which open the airways for I think 6 hours.Hope your son feels better soon.

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thank you.

they altered it to during the day before and as i said within 48hrs he was in hospital. he went back to school and they were told tokeep an eye on him, any problems to ring me. well, he came home covered in blood - he had a nose bleed as he said his chest hurt, didnt get inhaler, got worked stressed and his nose bled. school didnt even tell me!!!

[yaf_user681_23350]

We've had a few probs with the school over the years. Once my eldest said his shoulder hurt on the way home from school (was 5),so I took a look. There was a dressing 10""x10"" across his shoulder and arm. I carefully undressed it to find there was layers of skin missing. It was one big bloody mess. I took him to casualty where he was given antibiotics and had the wound cleaned and dressed. No one thought to tell me!He has eczema it took months to clear up. There have been worse probs too.My Son forgets his inhalers when doing P.E, they are not out on the field with him. Have explained to my Son that if someone had to get them it could be too late, he goes under too quickly. It's all such a nightmare, I can't wait for him to go to senior school where they have a welfare officer/school nurse who is fantastic. Has been brilliant with my eldest Son and his medical condition.Hope things improve for you

Kate x

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Yea i've experienced similar to you guys;

Three years ago my son caught a cold and I took him to the Doc's; he had used inhalers in the past from the age of 3, usually when he was suffering with chesty colds. I have Asthma, my husband has mild asthma and my father had severe asthma. I know it can be hereditry, but suggesting this to the doctors meant I was treated as though i had Munchausens or something! Anyway, I was told to give him paracetamol. No inhalers were perscribed as I was told 'he doesn't have asthma'. A week later he still had this chesty cold and again the doctor told me to give him paracetamol and cough syrup even though I'd told the GP, it wasn't helping. So another week passes and I'm beginning to doubt myself, not trust my instincts, 'am I over reacting?' i take him to the doctors a furthur two times over the following 2 weeks and my son was perscribed a very mild antibiotic. It took us 45 mins to walk down to the surgery on the 4th occasion,normally a 10 minute stroll, as my son kept having attacks. I told the doctor this, buit he didnt show any concern. A second opinion supported my GP. The next morning I was woken yet again to my son coughing violently, I rushed to him- he couldn't raise his head and his lips were tinged blue. We rushed him to the hospital - as soon as we went in the Nurse called an ambulance to take us round the corner to a ward where they had special breathing equipment. His oxygen levels were 20% and he was minutes away from falling into a coma. Once assessed, we were told he had bronchial pneumonia. I was so upset, so angry for the GP's thought they knew better. The hospital staff were fantastic though and always are. I did have strong (non abusive) word with my GP surgery. We should have taken it furthur, but the whole thing was so exhausting at the time. I regret not taking it furthur- to make sure it wouldn't happen to someone else!

I have had problems with schools as well- my son had an attack at school, I wasn't informed, only by my son when he'd returned home from school! He'd had his inhaler in class taken off of him by the receptionist because he had taken a couple of puffs on the way to reception- yes, instead of the teacher sitting him down and calling the receptionist, he was told to walk across the school to reception, once there she restricted him to 2 puffs, even though he continued to have symptoms! I asked why she did this she said ''my father had asthma at the end of his life, so i know how to handle it, two puffs and breathing exercises are enough'' I was shocked at her lack of knowledge as she informed me she knew the most about the condition in the school! I told her she could have been responsible for my sons death with her lack of awareness for the condition. Only then did she start listening to what I had to say regarding his symptoms and what to do etc. and still, I do not feel my son is safe for even after this, the school tried to put a policy in place where children were not allowed to carry inhalers- they were to be kept locked in reception! Of course I refused point blankly and told them by doing this they were putting many childrens lives at risk.

I offered to get them info packs, but I was treated like they know better!

We have lived in both England and now Scotland and I'm sorry to say that the lack of caring and awareness is the same!

sorry, just one last thing, I'm on singulair tablets- I asked about this for my son and was told children cant take them?!but I see thats not true! i'm going to ask again because his asthma is just constant all day all night and the docs just dont seem bothered.

[yaf_user681_23350]

My Son has been on Montelukast tablets since they came out years back.

We had the same problem with pneumonia, was told I was paranoid by gp's, paramedics said could hear fluid on both lungs, A+E doc missed it, waited 18 hours for chest xray. By then my Son was at deaths door and we had one hell of a battle getting him well again.

It's just such a struggle dealing with this, I'm ill with asthma at mo too.

Take care

Kate